Sermons
for
Christ Covenant International Ministries
Covenant
with God Series: Seven Simple Sermons
Sermon 3: God's Gift of Faithfulness
“The Chair: We Can Learn to Trust”
Memory Verse: “We know
that all things work together for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
Texts: Ps 136, Romans 8: 26-32, 35-38
Call and Response:
God is good all the time.
1) Review of Part 1 & 2:
God has given us the gifts of Love and Value
God Tells us in Many Ways and in Many Places in Scripture: We are Loved
and Treasured
Bible Stories:
In the story of Hosea and Gomer we learned that God loves us and calls us back into
relationship even when we have sinned.
In the story of Joseph in
Egypt
we learned that God considers us of great value, and although the world may
treat us badly—even our own relatives—God loves us and has a wonderful
plan for our lives.
Bible Verses:
“If you obey my voice and keep my
covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all peoples.”
(Exodus 19:5)
God called a people into a covenant
relationship—and calls us to maintain that covenant relationship. We are
adopted as children of God and given the privileges of the people who were
first called by God: God’s treasured possession.
“Do
not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.
You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah 43: 2, 4)
The prophet Isaiah is reminding the people that God has already redeemed them.
Like
Israel, God has loved us from the beginning and calls us by name in an intimate
relationship—like a loving father and his child. We are also a part of that
loving relationship and call God our father.
“You
are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah
43: 4)
“All who are led by the Spirit of God
are children of God… You
have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that
very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
(Romans 8:13, 16)
Paul reminds us that we received a
spirit of adoption. We are children of God and are led by the Spirit of God.
When we cry out to God: “Abba, Father” we know that the Spirit of God is
bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. We can be
confident in God’s love.
All these verses bear testimony that God
considers each of us of great value.
The Bible verses
and stories we study today confirm that we are loved and valued,
and that God’s steadfast love endures forever. Therefore, we know that we can
trust God.
When in doubt
remember: God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.
2) We
are Called to Trust God
God deserves and expects trust and praise in
acknowledgement of his character.
Throughout the Bible God tells us that we are very special to him: Exodus,
Psalms, Isaiah, Romans. God talks to us in many ways to explain that we are
God’s treasure and God wants a special, personal relationship—like a loving
father and his child—with each of us.
Our memory verse today reminds us that we know that all
things work together for good in God’s world. God is in charge of this world,
and even though really bad things happen in it. We can trust God absolutely. So
we are called to learn to trust God.
Memory Verse (above): Romans 8:28
We are told to trust God and we are given many examples
of God’s goodness.
Many writers of scripture—throughout many, many thousands
of years—tell us about God’s loving deeds to preserve his precious people.
We read a list of some of those deeds in Psalm 136 today. We are told again, and
again—in many different ways—that “God’s steadfast love endures
forever.” We are given story after story about God’s goodness—not only to
the beloved chosen people—whom we have now joined by adoption, but also to
other people who do not yet know God. The Bible story I’m telling you today is
the scariest story I know from the Bible.
EXAMPLE: Bible Story—
The book of Second Kings tells us that there was once a little family in ancient
Israel
who had a little daughter. She was bright, and she trusted God. She was
probably a lovely little girl and quick to do her work. But a tragic thing
happened—the most terrifying thing I can think of as a parent. An army of
pagan people invaded her country and took her away with them to their own
country. But God was with her, and God used her in his plan to bless a man and
others who did not know the loving God of the universe.
The little girl loved and trusted God.
As it happened, she became the servant of the captain of the
whole army. He was a very skilled soldier and leader, but he had leprosy—a
terrible skin disease for which they had no cure. He was in despair, but the
little girl told him about the prophet in her country who could heal him of his
dreadful disease, and the Bible goes on to tell us of his healing and his turn
to serve God.
Abducted little girl of
Israel
2 Kings
5:1-3 NRS Naaman,
commander of the army of the king of
Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had
given victory to
Aram
. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.
2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young
girl captive from the
land
of
Israel
, and she served Naaman's wife. 3
She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in
Samaria
! He would cure him of his leprosy."
Finally, we are told that because God deserves our
allegiance and trust, it is a sin for us to fail to acknowledge God with
praise or to fail to trust God and rely only on ourselves.
Time and again—in our experience with other people and with our own
selves—we discover that people are sometimes untrustworthy. They may
mean well, or they may have their own agendas, or they may be
inconsiderate or mean. All people are only human—they are not always
loving and reliable—and they are not absolutely trustworthy.
When bad things happen to us, we sometimes conclude
that God cannot be trusted. The opposite is true. We are told repeatedly
that we can trust God. We are reminded so that when we become sad, or afraid, or overly
confident, or questioning,
or hopeless—we can remember and put our confidence firmly of God. We
remember the story of the beloved little girl who was captured and we know
that “all things work together for good.”
***
EXAMPLE: C. S. Lewis—We may say
that we believe that God is good and we can trust him, but do we actually act
like we believe it? C.S. Lewis says that if we believe that a chair will support
our weight, but we fail to sit in it, we do not truly believe. Just so, if we
say that we can trust God and believe God is good—but fail to call upon him
and rely on him and place our trust in him—we show by our behavior that we do
not truly believe.
When in doubt
remember: God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.
3)
We Have Good Reason to Trust God
Things happen to us, and we are
sometimes afraid to trust God.
There are several families of Desert
Quail that ran through my backyard in Nevada every day. Every morning and every
evening I put out a little pile of birdseed for them—which they gobble up as
soon as I go back into the house. Although I fed them all summer, and I have
never harmed them, they scatter and hide as soon as I come out the door. They do
not yet trust me.
We sometimes treat God that way. Although God loves us and
wants to guide us tenderly and help us in every way—we often run and hide when
God comes near, or when we are afraid.
Scriptures teach us about God’s
trustworthy character.
The Holy Scripture teaches us with stories and instructions
and reminders and songs about God’s character. We are told to “hope in the
Lord.” We are reminded that “God’s steadfast love endures forever.” We
are given stories of God’s reliability and told how God redeems.
God has been living a lot longer than we have.
If God has been faithful in the past—we know that we can trust God now.
If God believes that we are valuable and loves us—then we must treat ourselves
as valuable.
Even though bad things happen sometimes—we know that God is trustworthy.
History has demonstrated God’s
loving character. Psalm
136 is not the only psalm to record a list of God’s goodness to the beloved
people. Psalm 136 is a hymn of praise for God’s marvelous works for us. Psalm
106 tells of how God loves us even though we have sinned. The psalms are not the
only book to tell us about God’s loving character.
Meaning: “God’s
steadfast love endures forever.”
Notes: God is good—pleasant (to the higher nature), agreeable (to the
senses), excellent,
Valuable,
appropriate, best, kind, benefiting:
“Mercy/Steadfast love” = (ds,x, checed {kheh'-sed} ) “Forever”
= (~l'A[ `owlam {o-lawm'})
Goodness/kindness/faithfulness
from antiquity to futurity/everlasting, perpetual, ancient
We must give
God thanks for the instances of his power and wisdom. In general (v. 4), he alone
does great wonders. The contrivance
is wonderful, the design being laid
by infinite wisdom; the performance
is wonderful, being put in execution by
infinite power. He alone does
marvelous things; none besides can do such things, and he does them without the
assistance or advice of any other. More particularly, {1.} He made the
heavens, and stretched them out, and in them we not only see his wisdom and
power, but we taste his mercy in their benign influences; as long as the heavens
endure the mercy of God endures in them, v. 5. {2.} He raised the earth out of
the waters when he caused the dry land to appear, that it might be fit to be a
habitation for man, and therein also his mercy to man still endures (v. 6); for the earth hath he given to the children of men, and all its
products. {3.} Having made both heaven and earth, he settled a correspondence
between them, by making the sun, moon, and stars, which he placed in the
firmament of heaven, to shed their light and influences upon this earth, v. 7-9.
Our own personal experience tells
us that we can trust God.
We sometimes experience difficulties. We sometimes find
that we cannot trust others. We sometimes discover that we can’t do everything
ourselves. We are sometimes surprised and disappointed and blame God. But the
truth we are taught is that God is good all the time. God alone is completely
reliable.
Example: A general
during the Civil War told a correspondent that when he was at the back of
the battle and saw all the wounded men being taken off the field, he would grow
despondent and afraid. But when he was at the front of the battle and saw the
victories and remember his carefully devised strategy, he was confident and
strong.
When we turn our eyes to look at God, we will be reminded
of God’s strength when we feel weak. We will be reminded of God’s
faithfulness in spite of difficulty. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus—Look full in
his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim. In the
light of his glory and grace.”
We experience problems when we make mistakes. The mistakes
we make do have bad consequences—and we must often pay those debts and suffer
those consequences. Other people—even when they love us—will not wait
forever for us to stop doing things that hurt us or them. But God is always
faithful. God will always provide. God has already provided a way for us to be
redeemed and saved from the distress we suffer.
4)
Trust is the Most Natural Response to God’s Character
God calls us to trust. God is
reliable. God is faithful.
The most natural, reasonable response to God’s loving,
trustworthy character is to love and trust God in return.
Trusting God provides peace of
mind, comfort, courage, confidence, strength, power.
At last, when we trust God completely, we can become the
person God designed us to be. Picture yourself as a person whom God loves. A
person who has learned to trust God. That person can have courage and
confidence. That person is strong and has power to serve God. That person is
comforted during difficulties. That person is at peace. Bring this picture of
yourself back into your mind whenever you doubt. Remember: God is good all the
time.
God loves you. God has given you value. God blesses you, even when you
don’t deserve it.
God preserves. God has a plan. God has a plan for you.
What are you doing in the place to which God has driven you?
Are you learning to trust God absolutely?
What are you telling other people who may not know about God as you do?
What are you doing to further God’s plan for you?
Pray with me:
Thank you, God, for loving me, even when I am sometimes hard to love.
Thank you for redeeming me and preserving my life.
Thank you for making a plan for me.
Forgive me for failing you and failing others.
Forgive me for failing to love myself as a special treasure.
Open my heart to receive your love. Teach me to love myself.
Remind me that you are always good—regardless of my circumstances.
Remind me that Jesus died for me. Prepare me to live with you.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Charge and and Benediction:
Go in peace according to God’s word.
Remember always that God loves you with a steadfast love.
Be strong. Be of good courage. God has overcome the world.
Remember that Jesus said, “Behold, I am with you—even to the end of the
age.”
Bible Texts:
Psalm 136:1-26 NRS
(Call and Response)
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast
love endures forever.
2 O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures
forever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures
forever;
4 who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures
forever;
5 who by understanding
made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love
endures forever;
7 who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures
forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love
endures forever;
10 who struck Egypt through their firstborn, for his steadfast love
endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love
endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love
endures forever;
13 who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures
forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast
love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his
steadfast love endures forever;
16 who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love
endures forever;
17 who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures
forever;
18 and killed famous kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures
forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as
a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to his servant Israel, for his steadfast love endures
forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast
love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures
forever;
25 who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures
forever.
26 O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures
forever.
Romans 8:26-32, 35-38
26 Likewise the Spirit helps
us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very
Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of
the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will
of God. 28 We know that
all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called
according to his purpose.
29 For those whom he
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order
that he might be the firstborn within a large family.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those
whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for
us, who is against us? 32
He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not
with him also give us everything else?... 35 Who will separate us
from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 38
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Click here for Sermons 1& 2: God's Gift of
Value and God's Gift of Hope
